Summary: Chapter 2, they go visit Yuffie. Super long... I think

Chapter Song:

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or anything in this.

Cloud shifted around a bit in his chair. It was hard for me to believe. I felt pain course through my chest and arms. No one explained how she got their either. Shera had some tears flowing out but that was it. Everyone else was just quiet.

" She's been doing OK though, nothing wrong with her. Just she won't wake up." Cloud said. Wouldn't wake up? So they tried to wake her up. I guess I looked weird because Reeve smiled a bit. Everyone started to talk a bit more but only in whispers. Some glanced toward me sometimes too. I turned in my seat to face Reeve.

" What happened?" I asked. He sighed a bit and swirled his drink. I frowned. His face was blank but I could see in his eyes he was sad. Was she really in a coma? Or was everyone fooling me?

" Maybe you should ask Cid. It isn't my place to say." he told me. I growled before getting up and walking to the door. I opened it and went to find Cid. But I didn't have too. He leaned against the wall watching the stars. His almost tears were gone, now he just looked sad.

" It's my fault ya know? Doing a mission and Yuffie planted a signal for meh. I shot my rockets at the signal, Fuck! They didn't do right and swerved. The blast knocked a building down. And it was the one the lil' brat was in." he said without looking at me. I was shocked. She was doing a mission and got hurt.

So it was true. She was asleep, and for awhile now she's been sleeping.

" We visit her everyday though. During visiting hours we all wait until she wakes up." he said finally looking at me. " You could visit tomorrow if ya want." he told me. Cid walked back to the door. He patted me on the shoulder and went inside. I looked up at the stars. And I saw what he was looking at.

The stars were aligned in a way that a rose was in the sky.

" The white rose of Wutai." I said to no one. I walked back inside. I slid back into my regular booth and chatted again with Reeve and Shelke. My thoughts kept wandering to Yuffie. It wouldn't hurt to go see the ball of sunshine. Even though she wasn't shining at the moment.

After everyone started to get tired, Cloud showed everyone to their rooms. They were staying for a while. Cloud showed me my old room and I went inside. It was dusty so I guessed Cloud didn't clean the rooms often. I took off my cloak and gauntlet and lay on the bed.

I stared at the ceiling for a long while. It was good I visited but I just couldn't believe that Yuffie was in a coma. That she wasn't cheering up everyone with humorous or rude jokes. Especially Cloud who needed it the most right now.

After I let my thoughts wander off I fell into my slumber.

…

I was awoken by tiny feet bouncing on my bed. When I opened my eyes the kids giggled and jumped down. I gave them a tiny smile which they returned.

" Hi Mr. Vincent. Mom is making pancakes so she told us to come get you. Then dad is taking everyone to see sister Yuffie." they said in unison. Sister Yuffie? I nodded and they giggled and left. Their feet bobbing down the stairs to eat.

I got up slowly, and looked at the clock. It read ten in the morning. I yawned and put on my cloak and gauntlet. After closing the door I went downstairs slowly. Everyone was doing their morning commute. Cid and Reeve talked quietly in a booth. Shelke played with the kids. Nanaki attended to his family of cubs and wife.

I sat down on a stool and Cloud poured coffee. I thanked him before taking a sip. It was warm and bitter but I drank it anyway. Shera sat pancakes down for the young ones first. Then she went to Reeve and Shelke and then me. Cid sat down on a stool near me and grinned.

" So you need to be ready. Them doctors don't like friends visiting. So I'm Yuffie's dad, Shera is mama, Cloud is a brother, Tifa is sister, Barret uncle, other kids cousins, Reeve and Shelke are Aunt and Uncle...Nanaki is a dog." Nanaki growled at that statement. Which the smaller children giggled. " And what might ya be?" he asked. I shrugged. Well I looked too young to act the appropriate age for me. So grandfather was out of the question. And I realized why the kids said SISTER Yuffie.

" I guess when the time comes I'll know." I said. Cid grinned and made a family member status for me anyway.

" Say hello to Yuffie's husband." I sputtered out my coffee as he laughed with everyone. That status was hardly fair. I couldn't even get my words for Cid out. I gaped at his retreating figure with a glare. He smiled and sat with his pancakes a few seats away.

I wouldn't let that one go. That was just wrong. If Yuffie is anyway I remember her she is still a child. Well, I mean ten years wouldn't do anything to age HER. It just seemed impossible to see Yuffie grow up. Not being what she calls fun, drinking coffee, and plain being old!

Shera sat down as Cloud helped her. He cleaned up the mess and sat down to eat also. Everyone ran around and laughed. They lightened the mood. Which I noticed that they all got their hopes up to see Yuffie awake. That she would miraculously be awake when they got there.

After everyone was done eating I gathered the dishes for Cloud and he thanked me. He washed them and we gathered by the door to see Yuffie. Cid asked everyone what they were to Yuffie, when he called me I just glared at him. He smiled and walked out the door. The hospital was close by so Cid said we could walk.

We walked down the streets and some people waved to us. Saviors of the planet. We continued to walk and finally stopped in the building. Cid walked to the desk and asked for Yuffie's room. She nodded and let us go in.

Cid let everyone bustle in. the room was very large and had one bed in it. Monitors were set up around it. Showing a heartbeat. A table and chairs sat in the corner, and other chairs littered the room. The table had books and presents on it too. Which I was surprised were mostly from Cid.

A doctor came in and handed me some papers. I raised an eyebrow.

" New visiting family members must sign in for Mrs. Yuffie Kisaragi." I nodded and shot a look at a laughing Cid. He sat down in a chair. I followed suit and started to sign them. My birth date, name, and all other crap I didn't want people to know.

" Vincent, ya can't back out of the marriage now because I already told the doctor you was her husband." he said grinning slyly at me. I frowned and circled husband. Much to my disgust. After I signed them the nurse came back in. she narrowed her eyes and read it.

" If you are her husband how come you never visited before?" she demanded. I looked at Cid who shrugged.

" Grief does many things to the mind." I said quietly. She didn't say anything else and left. After that I gave Cid a look that said I'll kill you later. And for the first time since I had been in the room I looked at the small figure in the bed.

I stood up to get a better look. Yuffie slept soundly. Her chest went up and down with each breath. Her normally tan skin had paled. Her black hair was still the same but looked a bit longer. And as I was saying earlier. She was still young looking. Though she did earn the curves she complained about when she was younger.

She just wasn't awake to see. Her cheeks were flushed and her hands shook. Yuffie's eyes were closed softly and a small smile was on her lips. Which I knew that meant she was OK. At least to me she was OK.

" I guess it's true, beauty sleep and all that. Though she needs her tan back. Looks sick in that damn bed." Cid's gruff voice came from the corner. I nodded. Everyone chatted but not quietly. Apparently they had the desire to chat her ear off when she was asleep. And maybe she would wake up.

And as they said before, nothing was wrong with her. The doctors and nurses checked in and would show us new results of her brain activity. They said it was oddly a bit wild but I knew that Yuffie was just having fun. Her bones were fine, they fed her through a tube. And even though she ate and never exercised she was still the skinny tiny girl I knew.

Cid's comments grew with each passing hour. He would say that Yuffie was probably dreaming of chocolate or playing a prank on someone. Shelke, who was sitting quietly stared at the sleeping figure I noticed a lot. So I slid into the seat next to her.

" Are you guys friends?" I asked pointing to Yuffie. She snapped out of her gaze and nodded. Her hands were in her lap and shook just like Yuffie's.

" Ya, we got along. We'd say hi to each other. Soon I was traveling sometimes with her. But then..." her voice went away. A lump formed in her throat. She continued her gaze at Yuffie.

When I heard a familiar annoying voice I growled. The door swung open. A man holding white roses came in. he replaced the old flowers with those and grinned. He waved to me but made no effort to say hello.

" So what is up all? Rude and Elena are outside." Reno said pointing to the door with his thumb. Cid glared at Reno.

" What are ya doing here Reno?" he snarled. Reno sighed.

" Hey, don't be that way Gramps. I was friends with her a bit. Besides she needs to have a MAN there when she wakes up." he said showing everyone his non existent guns. I rolled my eyes. Still a show off and he always will be. Even in the grave, he'll be annoying.

" Just ta let ya know Vincent is playin Husband so pick a different family member status." Cid said wrapping an arm around Shera. Reno's smile faded and he looked at me. Then he laughed.

" Mr. dark and quiet is YUFFIE'S husband? Nice one." he said before kissing Yuffie's forehead and leaving.

" Piss off." I muttered. Cid laughed and continued to talk to his wife. I sat in the chair quietly. When I saw a small figure in front of me. Natalie held out a puzzle.

" I got Sister Yuffie this for when she wakes up. And what is your present to her?" she asked. I glanced at the puzzle. It was a chocolate rose in a pink background.

" I haven't got anything, yet." I said. She shrugged before going to play with her brother. Then I started thinking of what to get Yuffie. What would she like, of course Materia but what else.

" Alright, I'm going back to the bar. See ya when you get home." Cloud said. I waved a bit and he left. My thoughts were filled with questions at the moment. So I decided to stay here. I wondered what I would get Yuffie. And then a dark thought came up, what if she didn't wake up at all?

I hated that thought, and I knew that she had to. Nanaki took all the kids home after an hour. Cid sat with Shera for hours looking at the girl. Their faces were sad but had hope in them.

Reeve took Shelke's hand and they left. But they said bye first. And they would be back in a few days to see her.

" Vincent when are you leaving?" Cid asked. He held onto a sleeping Shera. I shrugged. I don't know why but I didn't want to leave. Not yet at least. Maybe in a few days. But something kept me in this spot. Not wanting to do anything.

" I'll stay for a while. Maybe we can do more catching up. And I need to get Yuffie a present." I said with a smile. Cid laughed quietly. The room was silent except for Cid's loud sighs. I noticed he didn't like being in one spot at a time so he continued to shift in his seat.

I started holding my breath when Yuffie shifted. Hoping that she was waking herself up. But it was just that, a wish. She continued sleeping and I sighed.

" Vincent, can I ask ya something?" Cid asked me sadly. I nodded and he shifted again.

" Do ya think she'll wake up? I know the kid is strong, but it's been so long...I sometimes lose hope she will..." he said. Sometimes I wondered that too. I wasn't here as long as Cid but thinking of how long she was here made me feel she may never wake up.

" She still has a chance. But may I ask you this? Will you continue to watch her, even if she doesn't?" I asked. He looked at me for a moment and thought.

" I'll always watch her until she wakes up. Then I'll help her until she's better." he said. That was a relief. To know that Cid actually appreciated her enough to help her. That underneath all of his annoyance toward her, he cared.

" Do you do it out of guilt?" I asked. He shook his head roughly.

" I do it because I want to. Because she needs someone when she wakes up...and hell I ain't letting Reno near her when she wakes up." he said laughing.

I know now that I wasn't going to leave until she was better. I should leave because I shouldn't care. But I do, I want to see her whining to people that she's hungry. To see her get up in the morning and say she didn't steal the Materia when we were sleeping.

After the nurses kicked us out we walked down the sidewalk. We passed a few shops but I did not find anything for Yuffie. I wanted it to be unique. Something she would absolutely love. Cid opened the door for Shera and me. We walked inside and sat down. The sun was going down so Cloud started to make dinner.

We ate soup and sandwiches for dinner. Everyone talked to each other quietly. Then I knew their routine. They were happy in the morning, making wishes that Yuffie would wake up. Then at night when it didn't come true they are quiet.

After dinner Cid took the kids upstairs and helped Shera up there. Nanaki took his family home and said bye. I sat down in the booth. The bar was now quiet and the only noise was the clattering of Cloud's glasses as he washed them.

" Do you plan on leaving soon?" he asked me quietly. I looked at his working figure and answered blankly, " Maybe, I would like to see Yuffie again. Odd not seeing that ball of sunshine not running around with chocolate in hand." I said smiling a bit. Cloud laughed and washed off the tables.

Yes I did miss her. For once I missed something besides Lucrecia. Some one who annoyed the crap out of me, but was only trying to be happy.

" Well that's good. I hope she wakes up when we're there though, so she knows we didn't forget her. Ya know?" he said. I nodded. Gods, I hoped we were there when she did. A part of me hated when she was talking knowing it wouldn't stop but another part knew she was cheering everyone up.

After finishing my coffee I climbed the stairs quietly and to my room. I set my alarm clock for 8 and slid into my bed. Then I suddenly felt drowsy and drifted off to sleep.

…

When I awoke from a beeping nuisance I remembered I set the alarm. I turned lazily and shut it off. After grudgingly going into the shower I came out better. The clock then read 8 : 30. making my way downstairs, I saw Cloud and Shera already up. Cloud was making coffee and doing dishes while Shera cooked omelets.

They waved and returned to their work. Cloud set a coffee cup in front of me and poured some in. after thanking him I drank the coffee. I would say it was quiet but I could hear Cid waking up with the kids. He pounded on the floors walking and the small steps were behind him.

They descended the stairs laughing and found their seats. Which their loud behavior woke up the feline family. Who came down the stairs carefully and nodded to everyone. The cubs played with the children while Shera handed out omelets.

I took my omelet and ate it rather quickly. Then when I was finished I told them I would meet them at the hospital.

" Wait Valentine will you take Natalie with ya? She wants to buy Yuffie another present." Cid said pleading. I nodded and she skipped toward my tall figure. She grinned widely and skipped the rest of the way to shop.

She pointed out good stores that she thought Yuffie would like. We stopped in one that smelled like flowers. Natalie smelled the air and sighed. She looked around at everything before picking out a journal to write in. the pen was shaped like a white rose and a picture of one is on the front.

" Do you think she'll like this?" she asked me. I nodded and she smiled. I stood at the counter but Natalie stopped me. " Mr. Vincent I want to pay for it pwease." I nodded and handed her the Gil. The shopkeeper smiled and took the Gil.

" She yours?" he asked. I shook my head and took the bag.

" A friend's." I said before leaving. We walked out the door and headed for a different shop. I still couldn't find anything Yuffie would like. Well, I didn't particularly know what she liked but I wanted to find something that she'll use a lot.

I stopped in a shop with jewelry and looked around. Nothing captured my eye, yet. I glanced around and saw something. It was a necklace, it was quite amazing actually. It had two roses on it, a white one and a red one. They crossed over each other. I looked at the price. Not to bad, well it was bad but it wouldn't hurt that much.

I told the shopkeeper the one I pointed at. He took it out in a velvet box and I handed over the Gil. He wrapped it in pink paper and I thanked him before leaving. We made our way down the street towards the hospital. People gave me odd looks as they saw Natalie holding onto my cape and walked with me.

I made no effort to tell them she was Cid's and just passed them by. We made it to the hospital and I opened the door for Natalie. She scurried inside and skipped to the counter. She asked for Yuffie Kisaragi, who the nurse that was there yesterday nodded. She saw me and let us go upstairs.

After we walked up the stairs we headed down the quiet hallway and toward room 316. I gently opened the door to see a doctor and nurse in there. They smiled at Natalie and continued talking. Yuffie looked the same as ever, still asleep. Natalie plucked herself into a chair and sat with her present in her lap. She would stop looking at Yuffie sometimes and give me a big wide grin. Which I would return a small smile to her.

" Why hello, you must be Mr. Valentine?" the doctor said holding his hand out. I took it with my normal hand and shook slightly before withdrawing. I nodded and he smiled. " Her progress is good. She should wake up anytime soon." he said. Well if she hasn't woken up for a year what makes you think she'll wake up anytime soon? I thought. Natalie bounced up and down with joy.

I nodded again and they left. Natalie looked at Yuffie with happiness. She was excited that she would be waking up.

" OOH I can't wait! She'll open her presents and then we can do lot's of things together!" she wailed. I smirked. That girl was almost like Yuffie. Hyper and happy all the time. Even when it was the evening she was cheering everyone up.

…

For the past couple days Natalie and Dean would walk with me early to see Yuffie. They still had high hopes that she would wake up very soon. And I was actually surprised to agree with them. She had become more active in her sleep. She moved more and would mumble words if you listened good enough.

" Today she HAS to!" they said as they nearly ran down to the hospital. The doctor, who I thought was a real retard for even getting their hopes up was right. So I apologized to him in my mind.

They waited for me to open the door before launching themselves inside the hospital. I looked at the nurse and she nodded. We practically glided up the stairs to her room. I opened the door quietly and the kids burst inside.

Yuffie lay in bed snoring. They giggled with excitement. I sat down and read a book they had gotten Yuffie. Though it was a child's book it was...quite interesting. Well, at least I found out WHY she read it. Though I did not understand why it was so amazing.

Yuffie tossed and turned. The kids squealed with excitement.

After a couple of hours the kids were quiet. I didn't know why but they would whisper and turn their heads toward me slowly. And I was actually starting to get nervous. Until finally they both got up and stood in front of me... in a position I realized they had to go to the bathroom.

I had no idea what to do. So I looked at my only option. I walked out of the room with them and caught a nurse. She laughed at me when I asked if she would take them to the bathroom. I sighed and she took them to the bathroom.

I returned to the room that Yuffie was snoring and drooling in. her smile was still smothered on her face. I went to her side and examined her face. Her smile had drool coming out of the side of her mouth. I smiled a bit before turning around. Then something grabbed me. I jumped a bit and Yuffie pulled harder. I tried to pry my cape from her hands. She turned the other way and I slipped.

I fell over onto the bed and I felt her grip loosen. I rolled my eyes before moving the bed back and returning to my seat. And I felt like a fool as a grin appeared on her face.

The kids returned with the grinning nurse and when she left I scowled. The kids continued to play with a coloring and watched their parents come in.

" Have any trouble Valentine? Gave em extra juice this morning just for you." Cid said laughing. I gave him a smug look before returning to the book. Cloud sat down beside me. He was on the phone with Barret and the other kids.

" Alright, ALL of you better come. Yes Barret, no...yes.... yup she is doing great may wake up too." he said. Cloud hung up the phone before giving me a big grin. He settled into his chair and sighed.

Now, we waited. For the ball of sunshine to wake herself up.